Boiling Point
by MorphlingInTheSoap
Summary: With Raoul already starting to slip into drunken gambling after the opera house has only burned down a few months ago; Christine is starting to have second thoughts about their upcoming marriage. Things are coming to a head and Christine must make the choice: stay with Raoul or possibly search for something more.
1. Chapter 1

Christine sighed and pushed back a strand of her chestnut hair, tucking it behind her ear. Stretching her neck side to side, she grimaced at the tightness she found there. Elegantly, she rose to her feet and basically floated across the floor to the window and away from the last minute wedding preparations she was, of course, dealing with by herself as Raoul had seemingly blown her off once again. They were supposed to be going to tour their wedding venue one last time before the big day and yet Raoul was no where to be seen.

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, she tried to let all the annoyances she had boiling inside her fall away but it was not an easy feat. It had been more than a few months since that night at the opera house and without music to keep her occupied, she had wholeheartedly thrown herself into wedding preparations with eager excitement. That excitement however had faded with every decision that needed to be made. They all ended up on her shoulders- Raoul could not be bothered with them as he had more than a handful of new stresses to deal with.

Apparently, the De Chagny family wasn't very happy with their young son. To make such an investment in an opera house with such a grotesque reputation was bad enough. Getting engaged to one of their dancers-turned-singers was significantly worse. The burning down of their investment was just the cherry on top and had been the final straw. The family had demanded thatRaoul part from Christine but when he refused, he was then cut off.

Raoul had seemed to have taken the news relatively well in the beginning. In fact, Christine could think of at least one other person who probably would have ended such adisagreement with murder. Raoul had, understandably,ranted and raved about it to her. Christine knew that it must be stressful;so she had tried her best to be patient and to wait for his perpetual foul mood to pass- it never did.

In fact, he seemed to get angrier and angrier with time. He worried constantly about how they would make money. Christine had started cleaning the boarding house where she was staying to try to help cushion the small sum of money Raoul's father had left him with. Raoul seemed to be determined on drinking and gambling it all away thoughas he tried to drown his sorrows. Christine couldn'tunderstand what was going on in his mind butsimply bit her tongue about it all, not wanting to rise his ire.

Instead, she stuck her nose deep into wedding plans and tried to pull him out of his dark place with them as well. One night after being peppered with constant questions such as:These flowers or these ones?This cake or that one?He sternlytold her that wedding plans were for ladies and that he wished to never againbe asked for adviceon the subject. From then on, she tried her best not to bring it up to him which of course was almost impossible- especially when vendors started asking for payments.

During one of these times earlier in their wedding planning process, Christine had gone to him feebly to ask him to cover for the rest of a bill.

"Always asking for money!" He had stormed as he angrily took his brandy glass to glare out the window.

Christine had swallowed thickly and pressed on. "I'm sorry, my dear. Perhaps a smaller, simpler ceremony would be better for us." She had offered willingly as a way to make him happy. That's all she wanted- for him to be happy again.

"You think I cannot afford this?" He accused her, pinning her with a hateful glare to her spot.

"Of course not , Raoul," she murmured back, fixing her stare on the carpet beneath her. Her brow creased in concentration as her mind raced on how to make this better.

 _You shouldn't have brought this up_ , her inner voice condoned.

"What then?!" He shouted, stamping across the room to her.

"I just... I need... I... I... I need money to help pay the vendors, my love," she murmured and looked up at him, trying furiously to blink away the ashamed tears burning in her eyes. He stared at her icily, his eyes roaming over her face in what could almost be described as disgust. "You know I hate asking," she had continued, "but cleaning does not make a lot of money. Perhaps if i were to find a singing j-"

"NO!" He yelled, his alcoholic breath invading her nose as his glass of brandy smashed against the wall behind her.

Christine froze, holding her breath. She didn't move, simply stared at the top button of the shirt he was wearing. Her heart rammed madly in her chest. He had never been this mad before and it truly frightened her.

Raoul ran his hands down his face and sighed distraughtly. "No, Christine," he repeated, softer and with a tone of regret this time. "I just can't allow you to put yourself into any possible danger," he explained softly, his fingers reaching out to caress her cheek. Christine didn't dare move.

Though the authorities assured the public that the Phantom was dead, there had been no proof and that drove Raoul insane. He hated Christine going anywhere without him for fear of the Phantom. He forbade her from finding asinging joband got annoyedeven if he heard hersinging in the privacy of her own abode. After that night, Raoul was significantly more patient with any further talk of money.

Christine pressed her forehead against the glass pane of the window, letting the cold of it seep into her skin as she tore herself from that not so long ago memory. She let out another sigh, her hot breath fogging up the window. Life after the opera house was sorely lacking. There were no more beautiful outfits, no more lights, no more flowers, no more applause, and worse, no more music- at least not music like  
 _he_ could compose. She was suffocating without the spotlight- without the thrill of her former life. She itched to be active again- to be someone. Now all she was was Raoul's fiancé and she was alone. So alone and miserable in a world without music.


	2. Chapter 2

Christine's small feet crunched over the gravel pathway as she scurried away from the church. Cold air bit at her eyes, making them sting and tear up. Christine chewed on her lip, fighting the building tears. Raoul had never showed for the rehearsal at the church which meant she had to go alone which also meant that Raoul was going to be furious- he didn't like her going places alone after all- not since the Phantom. Even though she hadn't had much of a choice.

Embarrassment burned in her eyes as she remembered the priests' frequent comments on how unusual it was for the groom to not show up for the rehearsal. The priest had awkwardly walked her through what would be going on tomorrow. He even had a altar boy stand in as a faux Raoul. It topped the charts as one of the most awful things she had ever gone through- and that was saying something.

Just remembering their sympathetic gazes made her flush in anger. The worst was the whispered conversation the altar boy had with the priest as she was gathering her things to leave.

"Do you think the groom will actually show up tomorrow?" He had asked, doubt dripping from his tone.

The priest had shushed the young boy, of course, but that did nothing for Christine's feelings.

The sun was nearly finished setting as Christine came to the bustling street the church was on. Her heart pumped in nervousness at the growing darkness. Raoul's paranoia was contagious and she found herself worried that the Phantom would find her here and steal her away. Christine gracefully maneuvered around an icy puddle, frowning thoughtfully.

How awful would it be if the Phantom did find her? After all, Raoul didn't seem to care for her or even their impending wedding. Maybe she had made a mistake all those nights ago...

Christine shook her head, trying to sweep those silly thoughts from her head. The Phantom was a mad man! There was no denying it. He had gone crazy for her- killed for her. Christine took a deep breath, hoping the frigid air would dispel any other of those immature thoughts.

Her anger, frustration, and sadness had other ideas though... time and time again her brain wandered and fantasized about the adoration she had gotten from her former angel. He would never shun and shut her out this way, would he?

 _Maybe for his music_ , she reasoned to herself, _but only for that and only momentarily. After all, I was his muse and inspiration._

Christine shook her head to try to clear these insane thoughts from her mind once again. She didn't know what had gotten into her.

The bells tolled from the church behind her and she let her thoughts wander to her wedding.

She pictured the dress she would be wearing, the flowers she'd be holding, the music that would be playing. She frowned momentarily here as her brain instantly jumped to the beautiful music her Phantom could play and she had been without now for what seemed like eternity to her.

With another curt shake of her head, she forcefully returned her thoughts back to her wedding. She pictured herself once again in the spotlight and her heart trilled in her chest. She then imagined Raoul and how handsome he would- just like those not so long ago days from the opera that seemed so much more distant than they really were.

A loud whinnying in her ear made her gasp and jump away from the street. A dark carriage with black curtains and deep red, laced edges pulled up beside her and stopped. Christine's heart started hammering in her chest- whether in fear or hoping, she couldn't tell.

 _Was this the Phantom come back to claim her?_ Christine was frozen in place, her brain racing, trying to decide on whether to run to or run from the carriage. She lifted her foot and was about to step towards the dark carriage when the door flew open.

Meg poked her head out. "Christine!" The young girl exclaimed. "Where are you going? Jump in and I'll give you a ride! You'll catch your death out here!"

Unreasoning disappointment flooded Christine's body but was quickly replaced with embarrassed excitement. She hadn't seen her dear old friend since the night of the fire- not that she hadn't wanted to. Raoul had forbid any contact with either of the Girys after that night hence the embarrassment that she was now feeling.

Christine had pleaded and pleaded with Raoul but he had stood firm and unwavering. She had questioned endlessly for an explanation for his unreasonable behavior but he had made it quite clear the subject was no longer up for discussion or explanation.

The heavily-hooded driver of the carriage quickly hopped down, jostling the body of the carriage. Christine couldn't help but search the confines of the darkened hood for a mask- which, of course, there wasn't. Christine chided herself for being so silly. She really needed to get her mind back in a healthy place.

The carriage driver quickly offered her a hand up which she accepted. She gracefully stepped up into the carriage and took the seat across from Meg. The atmosphere was strained in the carriage as it jostled once again. The driver had clambered back into his seat.

"Where to, Mademoiselle?"He called out, muffled by his hood.

Christine quickly gave him the address and smiled weakly across at her friend as the carriage rumbled along the cobblestoned road.

"Meg, it's been too long," she murmured. Pain flashed in Meg's eyes for a second before she smiled meekly.

"Yes," she agreed softly, "I tried to get into contact with you," she admitted nervously and with a trace of hesitation. It seemed as though she was trying to get the courage to say something. With a deep breath, she continued. "I had asked Raoul your whereabouts but he told me that you had no interest in seeing me or my mother," Meg confessed. Christine opened her mouth to try and explain but Meg rushed on. "I couldn't say that I blamed you though," Meg admitted, much to Christine's surprise. Meg wasn't done yet though. "I mean, I figured he had told you about our- well, more my mother's involvement with the Phantom." Meg finished her statement on more than a whisper, with her eyes downcast, studying her fingers intently.

Christine stared at her in shock and confusion, her heart in her throat at the mention of _him_  
style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;". "I'm sorry, Meg," she began slowly, "I'm just a little confused. What involvement are you talking about?"

Meg's face shot up to look at her in shock, her face draining of blood. She opened her mouth as if to respond and then closed it again, taking a breath. She did this again as she tried to find the best way to explain.

"Mother was... involved, I guess you could say- with the Phantom," she hurriedly clarified. "He came to live in the opera house because she rescued him when they were younger. She would help deliver some of his notes. She knew about the passageways and even where he lived," Meg explained now with a crease of uncertainty on her brow. "I'm sorry if I seemed confused, Christine," she continued, "but I had assumed Raoul had told you about this. After all, it was mother that helped him find his way to you that night."

Christine dropped her eyes from Meg's questioning gaze. Frowning, Christine tried to sort through all of this new information.

Christine had never even thought once to question Raoul on how he had found her- she had just been relieved at the time that he had.

 _Why hadn't he mentioned this before_? She wondered. He could have told her this when he had forbade any contact with the Girys.

Christine's mind was racing as she processed all of this. Madame Giry had known all his secrets all along? Knew where he lived? How to get there? Christine's pulse thrummed in her veins.

"Meg..." she started slowly, her heart beating erratically at the thoughts and questions swarming in her head. "You say your mother knew him... How to get to him... Where he stayed in the opera house," Christine said slowly, never lifting her eyes to her friend; too ashamed of what she might see there. "Does she... what I mean to say is... would you... do you know if he's alive?" She asked the end of her question in a hurry, raising her eyes desperately to Megs'.

Emotion flashed across her face quickly- too quickly to pinpoint each one. But it all ended on a look that could only be identified as concealed deception.

"Christine, everyone knows that he was killed," she said, making her tone sound so plain and obvious.

Christine shook her head. "No, Meg. I know what everyone _else_ says! But there is no proof," she ranted, sounding near mad. "I want to know what  
style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"you say! What does your mother say?"

"I would say that if he isn't gone by now, it won't be long before he is," she said slowly with a tone of finality.

Christine's body was filled with the most unreasonable disappointment and intense sadness. They knew nothing of him.

"I wonder where he, or his body rather, could be," she wondered out loud as her eyes looked out the window. They were so close to her boarding house; their time together was almost up.

"Hopefully resting peacefully in a cemetery," Meg commented more to herself, her voice sounding strained. Christine looked at her and Meg flushed, smiling slightly at her. "Not that he deserves any of that after what he did to you," Meg said nervously.

"I think everyone deserves to be at peace," Christine commented back, her voice twinged in sadness. Meg's eyes fell away from Christine's and the carriage rumbled to a stop outside her boarding house.

"This is my stop," Christine remarked lamely, at a loss of what else she could say. She turned her eyes to look at her boarding house and could see through the front window that Raoul was pacing angrily in the drawing room, a glass of brandy in tow. Christine's heart twisted and fell into her stomach.

"I'm getting married tomorrow," she said softly, as if it were an after thought. She turned to face Meg. "Will you and your mother please come? For obvious reasons, I was not permitted to send you an invitation. Raoul I think is still upset but you're my dearest friend and I want you to be there! After all, with father gone, I have no one."

Meg was studying her face intently. "I can't," she admitted slowly and regretfully. "Mother and I are actually scheduled to board a ship tomorrow to head to America."

"America?" Christine echoed softly in surprise.

"Yes, we have decided to start anew after all this mess from the opera," Meg said.

"Starting anew," Christine murmured as if in a trance. She turned her eyes back to the boarding house window and flinched as Raoul angrily pulled the curtains aside. His eyes took in the carriage with drunken surprise. Slowly his eyes focused in on the window in which Christine was staring out of. Rage transformed his face and Christine was frozen, dread filling her every limb.

"You know," Meg started slowly, breaking her from Raoul's heated glare. Christine turned to find that she, too, was looking at Raoul. "If you have time before you get married, you should visit your father's grave. Visiting him used to give you such comfort and clarity when we were younger."

Christine opened her mouth to respond- to tell her that her clarity hadn't come from her father. That all along it had been the Phantom. She never got the chance.

"CHRISTINE!"

She flinched as the door to the carriage was wrenched open. All eyes flew to Raoul's enraged face. He reached into the carriage as if to grab Christine's arm. She deftly avoided his grasp.

"Raoul, my love," she said tersely, her voice coming out falsely sweet. "I thank you for your consideration on trying to help me from the carriage but I can assure you that I am quite capable on my own!"

Raoul stood halfway in the doorway of the carriage, his hand momentarily frozen in midair. He quickly plastered a strained smile on his clammy face and let his arm drop to his side, his hand clenched into a fist. He opened his mouth as if to speak but Christine cut him off, afraid of what he would say.

"It was lovely to see you, Meg," she said as she turned to face her friend. "I wish you luck on your new adventure." She hated having to sound so formal so as she rose to scoot from the carriage, she quickly hugged her friend in the crowded space, hoping the embrace would say to her friend what she was not permitted to say aloud.

"Christine..." Meg whispered regretfully but it was too late and Christine was gone, swiftly disappearing up the stairs of her boarding house, leaving both Meg and Raoul to stare afterher.


End file.
